Los Angeles, Feb 9 (.) Charlie Puth delivered a restrained yet deeply emotional rendition of the National Anthem ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Variety reported.
Seated at an electric piano, Puth opened the performance gently before building intensity during the “Rockets red glare” line, his vocals rising confidently as a choir joined in. The moment peaked as four Air Force jets flew overhead. As the final notes rang out, Puth lifted his arms and waved to the crowd, visibly soaking in the experience.
In the lead-up to the performance, Puth spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden about his preparation process. Emphasizing the importance of structure, he explained, “I think the best way for me specifically to approach it is, the arrangement is everything for me. I always reverse engineer how I hear my own music in my head and then it’s just kind of pulling it apart and making it a feasible product to hold. I’ve been rehearsing this in my head for months, if that makes sense,” as quoted by Variety.
Puth was announced as the National Anthem performer in November, a decision that sparked some skepticism online. One user on X commented, “we’ve fallen from when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl,” referencing her iconic 1991 performance, and added, “Charlie Puth? He’s not gonna give us vocals I’m afraid.”
The singer addressed the criticism directly, quoting the post and responding, “I’ll never claim to be as good of a singer as Whitney Houston ever was. But I assure you we’re putting a really special arrangement together- in D major. It’ll be one of my best vocal performances.”
According to Variety, The Super Bowl appearance comes as Puth continues the rollout of his upcoming fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever, set for release on March 27. He has already released the lead single “Changes,” followed by “Beat Yourself Up.”
During his Blue Note residency in Los Angeles last fall, Puth also debuted the track “Sideways,” featuring Coco Jones, which is expected to be included on the album.
. MI ARN